The chief executive of Asda has revealed that the supermarket giant has seen a jump in sales of vegetable ready meals and quorn in the wake of the horsemeat controversy.
Andy Clarke said customers were “switching” to non-meat options, adding he was “shocked” about the scandal and took full responsibility for the traces of horsemeat found in Asda’s own-brand beef bolognese sauce and frozen burgers from Freeza Meats. The Walmart-owned grocer immediately withdrew both products.
He made his comments as Asda delivered a slowdown in its sales growth to 0.1% over the 14 weeks to January 5, compared with 1% last year. Clarke said: “Looking ahead we expect the market to remain tough in 2013 for our customers.”
On the horsemeat scandal, he said he does not have a “crystal ball” in terms of whether the grocery sector could face more incidents this year.
He added: “I am chief executive of the business. I want you to know that I’m leaving no stone unturned to address what happened in our supply chain.”
